The present invention is directed, in general, to telecommunications and, more specifically, to a system and method for disseminating global positioning information through a telecommunications infrastructure.
Telephone call recipients have become increasingly more interested in the origin of their incoming calls. Much of this interest is a desire to screen incoming calls to save time during normally busy times. Additionally, with the rapid growth of the telemarketing industry, telephone call recipients do not want to be bothered with a plethora of sales calls from uninvited salespeople.
Answering machines and other voice mail mechanisms currently allow telephone call recipients to screen their calls and also allow them to capture important messages and information that may otherwise be lost. Current caller-ID services allow telephone call recipients another degree of freedom in that they may identify and capture both the name and telephone number of a caller, under certain conditions, as the telephone call originates. This caller-ID information is preprogrammed and based on a caller database of pre-associated data that does not convey any other information. Another problem with conventional caller-ID is that calls placed from private branch exchanges do not convey extension numbers, so that telephone calls from these callers may not be identified directly.
Mobile callers may wish to communicate with a telephone call recipient to obtain travel directions to the recipient""s location or to convey estimates of arrival time. If the mobile caller is xe2x80x9clost,xe2x80x9d a complicated communication may ensue that causes added stress to the situation. Additionally, telephone call recipients may need to know the location of a caller under certain important circumstances. Current caller-ID or voice-mail does not provide verifiable location information.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a way to obtain both caller and telephone call recipient location information through a telecommunications network.
To address the above-discussed deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a system for, and method of, disseminating global positioning information through a telecommunications network. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a receiver that collects global positioning signals and generates global positioning information based thereon and (2) a mixer, coupled to the receiver, that combines the global positioning information with user traffic to allow the global positioning information to be communicated with the user traffic through the telecommunications network to a recipient.
The present invention therefore introduces the broad concept of injecting global positioning information into telecommunications between calling and called parties. The global positioning information can be employed to allow one party to determine the location, or confirm the identity, of the other, to form the basis for encryption of messages or conversations between the parties or for any other purpose that the parties deem advantageous. The positioning information can be communicated isochronously with the user traffic. For purposes of the present invention, xe2x80x9cisochronousxe2x80x9d is defined as communication in which timing is required to be successful. Conventionally, voice and digital video are required to be transmitted isochronously.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the mixer employs in-band signaling to combine the global positioning information with the user traffic. Alternatively, the mixer may inject the global positioning information into an out-of-band channel associated with the user traffic. Those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that it is merely necessary to associate the global positioning information in some way with the user traffic.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the receiver and the mixer are located without a telephone. Alternatively, the receiver, the mixer and, if present, a display can be integrated with a telephone. The present invention is not limited to a particular physical arrangement.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the global positioning information and the user traffic are routed through a private branch exchange (PBX) before being communicated to the recipient. Alternatively, the global positioning information and the user traffic can be routed directly to a switch in the telecommunications network.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the system further includes a display, coupled to the receiver, that displays at least a portion of the global positioning information. The display, while not necessary to the present invention, may be of any conventional or later-discovered type.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the recipient employs the global positioning information as an encryption key. The use of global positioning information for purposes of encryption is set out more fully in copending U.S. Application No. [Attorney Docket No. WILLIAMS 5], entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Location-dependent Message Access and Telecommunications Infrastructure Incorporating the Same,xe2x80x9d commonly assigned with the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the telecommunications network is a wireline telecommunications network. Alternatively, the telecommunications network can be a wireless telecommunications network or a computer network, such as the Internet.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, preferred and alternative features of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.